Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 24 Cai Wenji’s Anxiety

"Okay then." Wang Jian didn’t insist. He took out his phone and said, "Uncle Zhou, let’s add each other on WeChat. If there are any new developments with your leg, it’ll be easier to contact me."

"Right, I’ll scan you."

After they added each other, the elder Uncle Zhou suddenly spoke up. "Doctor Wang, when is that free consultation you mentioned? I’ll go back and spread the word for you."

"About that..." Wang Jian looked up after changing the contact name, replying with a wry smile, "It’s not confirmed yet, but it’ll probably be in the next couple of days. Once it’s set, I’ll let you know. I’ll be counting on your help then."

"Ha, it’s a small thing."

Zhou Fang and Uncle Zhou waved goodbye. Wang Jian then took out his phone to tell Cai Xing about his plan. Cai Xing applauded the idea, saying he would personally arrange for people to help maintain order at the event, as he was worried about potential trouble. The people in their area loved both a spectacle and a bargain, and the combination of the two could attract huge crowds, making it easy for things to get out of hand.

Just after Zhou Fang and Uncle Zhou left the Paigou Village committee office, they ran into Li Dayu.

Li Dayu was surprised to see people coming out of Wang Jian’s small clinic. I can’t believe someone actually dares to get treated there. Aren’t they afraid of dying? But mostly, he just didn’t understand. When he got a clearer look, he was even more surprised to realize he knew them.

He knew Zhou Fang from playing cards and drinking together. Meanwhile, the elder Zhou was a veteran known to the community committees of several local villages. The state offered subsidies for veterans like him, but Uncle Zhou had refused them, insisting he was able-bodied and didn’t need the country to support him. He’d donated the money instead. Although Li Dayu wasn’t from the same village, he’d heard of him. After all, the area was small, and the tiniest bit of gossip spread to everyone.

"Well, hello there," Li Dayu greeted them with a smile. "Uncle Zhou, what brings you two here?"

Uncle Zhou gave a bitter laugh and patted his right leg. "What else? My rheumatism flared up, so I came to your village clinic to have it looked at."

"Ha, why didn’t you let me know you were coming? How long have you been here? Have you eaten? Why not come over to my place for a meal before you go?"

Seeing how hospitable Li Dayu was being, Zhou Fang quickly stepped forward. "No, no, that’s alright. I have to hurry back and decoct this medicine." As he spoke, he held up the bag of Chinese medicine for Li Dayu to see.

"Is this medicine from Wang Jian?" Li Dayu muttered, a curious look on his face. I didn’t think he’d dare to touch something like rheumatic pain.

Zhou Fang nodded. "Doctor Wang is incredible. He identified the problem at a glance and finished the consultation in about ten minutes."

Li Dayu chuckled to himself. Ten minutes? And he saw the problem at a glance? More likely he made a wild guess in under ten minutes and prescribed some harmless herbs to get them out the door. What could a young kid like Wang Jian possibly know? Even experienced practitioners of Chinese medicine can be stumped by rheumatism. Him? Not a chance.

Seeing that they were both in a hurry to leave, Li Dayu didn’t feel right holding them up any longer. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and parted ways.

When Li Dayu entered the village committee office, he made a point of glancing at the clinic next door, wanting to see if the kid looked nervous after swindling an old man. To his surprise, just as he peeked in, Wang Jian pulled him aside. Wang Jian looked perfectly normal; not only was he free of any post-deception guilt, he actually seemed excited.

"Village chief, you’re here at the perfect time. I have a plan that might need your help," Wang Jian said, walking right up to Li Dayu. "I want to hold a free clinic in the village, specifically for people over sixty. I’d like to include the surrounding villages too, so I’ll probably need your help with this, village chief."

A free clinic? And it’ll include the surrounding villages? Who does this kid think he is? Treating people from several villages... he might as well try flying to the moon! Li Dayu pursed his lips. If anything goes wrong, I’d be an accomplice. This kid is truly reckless. He just opened his clinic and is already trying to ruin it?

With that in mind, Li Dayu offered a word of caution. "Xiao Jian, helping you isn’t a problem for me. But with so many people in these villages, can you really handle it all by yourself? Don’t let things get out of hand and ruin your reputation. Besides, this small courtyard can’t possibly hold that many people."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Li. If I dared to suggest it, it’s because I have the ability to do it," Wang Jian explained, appreciating Li Dayu’s rare show of concern. "If there are too many people, we’ll just extend it for a few more days. The free clinic has to get done. I won’t overreach if I encounter a serious illness that I can’t handle, so you can rest assured. I’ve also discussed this with the Cai Family, and they said they would send people to help."

"What?" Hearing that the Cai Family would be helping, Li Dayu’s attitude changed instantly. "Since the Cai Family is sending people, I certainly can’t hold you back. I’ll go send a message to the other village chiefs right away."

Li Dayu took out his phone, intending to just send a quick WeChat message. But then he stopped and turned back to Wang Jian. "Wait, no, that won’t do. This is a great thing for all our villages. I need to go talk to them in person. Alright, you just wait for my good news."

With that, Li Dayu prepared to leave but turned back one more time. "When are you planning to start the free clinic?"

Wang Jian thought for a moment. Since the clinic had just opened, he was free. A day of preparation would be enough. "Let’s make it the day after tomorrow," he said. "I think the sooner, the better."

"Done! I’ll tell them it’s the day after tomorrow. I’ll have everyone gather a headcount and some basic information in advance. That should make things easier for you."

And with that, Li Dayu left. He had just arrived at the village committee office and had barely warmed his seat before he was wobbling his large frame back towards his house. The neighboring villages weren’t far, but the route was winding, so he decided to go home and get his car first.

Wang Jian thought to himself, If they can really tally the numbers and basic information beforehand, it will make things much more convenient for me.

With this in mind, Wang Jian called Cai Xing again. He had actually called him once before, right after treating Zhou Fang and his father, but since the time wasn’t set, he hadn’t given him all the details. Now, with Li Dayu’s help and the event scheduled for the day after tomorrow, he could explain everything clearly.

It was a good cause, and Cai Xing was happy to help.

At that moment, Cai Xing was neither at his company nor at home. He had secretly gone to the Cai Family’s private hospital, accompanied by his eldest son, Cai Wenji.

Wang Jian’s first call had come just as the two of them were leaving the testing room. His second call arrived after Cai Xing and Cai Wenji had seen the test results.

"Dad, why have you been hiding this from all of us? If you hadn’t brought me here today, I would have never known anything was wrong. In your eyes, am I, your son, not even supposed to know about this?" Cai Wenji’s eyes were red. His first reaction upon holding the medical report was disbelief; he simply couldn’t accept that it belonged to his father.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t you know now?" Cai Xing retorted irritably. "You’re a grown man. Why are you still crying?"

"What’s the point in you all knowing? Everyone experiences birth, aging, sickness, and death. I’ve lived for so many years; I’ve lived long enough. If the Cai Family’s business becomes unstable because of this, I won’t be able to rest in peace."

Cai Wenji opened his mouth but found himself unable to refute his father’s words. Still, he pressed on, "But if we had known earlier, there might have been a chance for treatment. Trying to find a matching heart at the last minute... the chances are too slim. No matter how important the Cai Family business is, is it more important than your life?"

The Cai family was indeed wealthy, but money couldn’t buy time.

Cai Xing smiled, moved by his eldest son’s reaction. As far as he was concerned, Cai Wenji was perfect in every way, except his methods weren’t quite ruthless enough. If everyone in the Cai Family understood that life was more important than the business, he wouldn’t have had to hide this from them.

What Cai Xing didn’t know was that Cai Wenji’s mind was racing, considering all kinds of solutions. He even entertained illicit ideas, thinking about going through unofficial channels, though he knew even that wouldn’t guarantee a successful heart transplant.

The conclusion on the report made Cai Wenji’s vision darken: ’Significant cardiac tissue abnormalities; insufficient cardiac power... Heart transplant recommended within three months, otherwise life-threatening.’

Just moments before, he had grabbed the doctor who gave him the report and asked again and again if there had been a mistake.

Unfortunately, the doctor who wrote the report was the most authoritative one in the Cai Family’s hospital. His reports were never wrong.

"Son, some truths are harsh, but they are still the truth," Cai Xing said earnestly, patting Cai Wenji on the shoulder. "In my life, I’ve experienced everything. I’ve lived long enough. Instead of wasting time being sad, you should help me watch over the family business and not let outsiders snatch it away. Our family business has always been under scrutiny. We can’t afford to be complacent for even a moment, or it could all collapse in an instant."

"Dad, why are you still talking about that?" Cai Wenji seemed to have aged years in that moment. He had no mental energy to spare for the family business. "We need to have our family doctors look at you right away. If they can buy us some time, maybe I can find a matching heart for your surgery."

"Right, Doctor Niu Deyuan! Chinese medicine is the authority when it comes to regulating the body. If we get a prescription from him, maybe..."

Before Cai Wenji could finish, Cai Xing cut him off. "You don’t need to remind me. He’s been helping me manage my condition for years. If not for him, I wouldn’t have lasted this long. He wasn’t the one who discovered this problem; he’s powerless to help now." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Then..."

Cai Wenji grew anxious.